By Brittany Alana Davis, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Monday, March 5, 2012

Here's what we're watching on Day 56 of the 2012 Legislature:

• As the clock ticks down on the final week of session, lawmakers are expected to start early and wrap up late each day to vote on hundreds of bills that are poised for the floors of the House and Senate. Meanwhile, Sen. JD Alexander, R-Lake Wales, and Rep. Denise Grimsley, R- Sebring, will continue budget negotiations.

• Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston, plans a press conference to oppose SB 1718, a hotly contested education bill known as "parent trigger." Headed to the Senate floor, the bill would enable parents with children at low-performing schools to demand big changes, including having the school converted into a charter school.

• The House is expected take a final vote on a HB 931, which would put the governor in charge of selecting the student member on the Board of Governors. The Senate version of the bill, which is also awaiting a floor vote, would require the BOG to organize a council of state university student body presidents to elect the student member.

• The House will vote on HB 7133, which would ramp up regulations on assisted-living facilities, create a central abuse hotline and slap a $10,000 fine on homes that cause a resident's death. The similar Senate bill appears to be stalled, which could kill the proposed overhaul.

• The House is expected to vote on a $10 million claims bill for Eric Brody, who was permanently injured in 1998 by a speeding Broward County Sheriff's deputy. The Brody claims bill has already passed in the Senate.

What should we talk about tomorrow? Tweet to us @PoliticsTBTimes

By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

PINELLAS PARK — A young child was taken to the hospital Monday morning after being hit by a car, troopers said

The child, who was not identified, was been taken to All Children's Hospital with "scrapes and bruises" after being hit by a Dodge Intrepid near the intersection of 34th Street and 64th Avenue N, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Troopers arrived on scene at about 7:15 a.m.

The child's mother and two other children may have also been hit by the car, a Dodge Intrepid, but they were not hospitalized, officials said.

Following the collision, an empty stroller stood abandoned at the scene. It was not immediately clear whether the mother and children were in the street, on the sidewalk or in a crosswalk when they were hit.

No further information was immediately available.

By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — A 71-year-old woman died Sunday after a medical emergency and car crash left her hospitalized for more than two weeks.

Virginia R. Pichey, 71, of St. Petersburg was driving a 200 Hyundai north on 49th Street N on Feb. 25 just after 11 p.m. when she began to suffer a medical emergency, police said.

Her car drifted to the right, scraping the curb and shredding the front passenger-side tire, police said.

Witnesses managed to reach into the car and turn off the engine before helping Pichey and calling 911, police said.

Pichey was taken to Ed White Hospital in critical condition. She was transferred to Northside Hospital on Thursday. She died there Sunday at 5:42 a.m.

Officials said she died of a "coronary-related incident."

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed their franchise player tag on Connor Barth, who became the fifth place-kicker in the league to earn that distinction.

The team also announced the signing of G/C Jeremy Zuttah to a four-year contract, reuniting him with former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano.

Terms of the deal were not released.

The franchise tag number for place-kickers is about $2.65-million on a one-year contract that is guaranteed. It represents the average top five salaries of place-kickers in the NFL and is lower this year because of a new calculation agreed to in the new collective bargaining agreement. Barth earned about $1.9-million in 2011.

Other place-kickers who have received the franchise player tag include the Jaguars' Josh Scobee, the Broncos' Matt Prater, the Bengals' Mike Nugent and the Browns' Phil Dawson.

Barth set a franchise record in 2011 by connecting on 92.9 percent of his field goal attempts (26-of-28), which ranked second in the NFL last season. It's believed Barth is seeking a contract similar to the five-year, $15.759-million deal signed by Patriots place-kicker Stephen Gostkowski last season.

Gostkowski made 28-of-33 field goal attempts during the regular season (84.8 percent) and was 5-for-5 in the playoffs.

Barth has improved every season since signing as a free agent with the Bucs midway through 2009. He has made 83.9 percent of his career field goal attempts. Last year, he did not have to perform kickoff duties after the team signed Falcons free agent punter Michael Koenen.

In four seasons, Zuttah's versatility has been a huge asset to the Bucs. He has played in 58 regular-season games with 44 starts at both guard and center. Zuttah started 30 games at left guard, five at right guard and nine at center. A third-round selection (83rd overall) in 2008 from Rutgers, he rejoins his former college head coach.

"(General manager) Mark (Dominik) and I agreed keeping Jeremy on our football team was one of our priorities this offseason,'' Schiano said in a release by the team. "He is a young, talented player, who we both know very well. We are pleased we could get this deal done and secure Jeremy for years to come.''

Zuttah started 14 of the 15 games he played in 2011, helping the Bucs record the fourth-best average gain-per-play (5.29) and third-best average rush-per-play (4.21).

"Not only am I happy to remain a Buccaneer, but also to be back playing for Coach Schiano. I couldn't be more thrilled about this opportunity," Zuttah said in a release by the team Monday.

With Zuttah under contract, the Bucs will spend the day trying reach a long-term agreement with place-kicker Connor Barth. But failing progress in those talks, Tampa Bay is expected to use their franchise tag on Barth before today's 4 p.m. deadline.

Times staff
Monday, March 5, 2012

If B.J. Upton running down a fly ball in centerfield is your vision of speed on the turf of Tropicana Field, think again.

The cheetahs of Busch Gardens Tampa were brought inside the stadium late last year for filming of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment's Saving a Species series, according to a news release by Busch Gardens. The show will be offered to educators on a special satellite feed.

With the stadium closed to outside visitors and the turf marked for the St. Petersburg Bowl football game, the cheetahs were encouraged to run the length of the field, chasing a lure system identical to the one in their Cheetah Run habitat at the Tampa attraction. The cats' efforts were captured by high-definition and high-speed cameras.

Their top speed? Try 46 mph screaming down the turf. Yep, that's almost cruising speed on some of downtown Tampa's interstates. In the wild, they can reach speeds of up to 60 mph.

"Even though we have this awesome habitat at Busch Gardens, a 100-yard football field will give us the opportunity to showcase what that speed looks like on a field that people can relate to," said Tim Smith, a Busch Gardens assistant curator who works with the cheetahs daily.

The 25-minute program is available to teachers and broadcasters free of charge. It will be broadcast without commercials from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. (first 15 minutes are color bars) on Friday. Satellite coordinates, copyright information and Web-quality preview segments are available at ShamuTV.com. In the coming months, the site will also be adding educational materials to complement the episode — including instructional videos, activity descriptions and teacher's guides — for elementary and middle school teachers.

Times staff
Monday, March 5, 2012

CLEARWATER — A 19-year-old took a stranger's car at gunpoint early Sunday morning in the parking lot of an apartment complex, then crashed the car hours later while trying to get away from police, authorities said.

Steven Mercer Dorsey Jr., 19, of Clearwater is charged with armed robbery, carjacking, causing a hit-and-run accident, and driving without a valid license.

Police say Dorsey approached his victim about 4:15 a.m. Sunday as the man parked and got out of his Chevy Cavalier at 2690 Drew St. near U.S. 19. Armed with a small automatic handgun, the robber stole the victim's wallet, cellphone and car, said Clearwater police spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts.

About three hours later, an officer spotted the stolen Chevy backed into a parking spot at a different apartment complex on Brigadoon Drive a short distance away. The officer saw the carjacker in the driver's seat sit up from a lying position and start the car.

He tried to flee in the stolen car but hit a parked vehicle instead, Watts said. Police found a silver and black air-soft gun on him — the kind typically used to shoot plastic BB pellets.

Times Staff
Monday, March 5, 2012

County commissioners would have more control over the panel that oversees the Pasco County Housing Authority under legislation approved Monday.

The bill, which now heads to Gov. Rick Scott, gives commissioners the power to appoint members to the housing authority's five-person governing board. Currently the governor's office appoints those members.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, sponsored the bill after the agency came under fire last year for mismanagement. Prompted by a whistle-blower lawsuit, the housing authority's executive director resigned and Scott replaced each member of the board.

Fasano said local officials are better suited to respond to any future problems at the agency. The bill passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate.

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

CLEARWATER — The surprise announcement that a long-running retirement community here is closing could mean the eviction of 140 seniors by next month.

Bayview Gardens will close within 45 days after four decades of operation at 2855 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd., managers told residents last week. The community's 75 nurses, housekeepers, cooks, drivers and other employees will also be out of a job.

Made up of a six-floor assisted-living tower and independent-living apartments, Bayview Gardens saw its finances plummet after pursuing a redevelopment plan that proved disastrous, said Troy Hart, president of SantaFe Senior Living, which runs the community.

In 2008, two years after buying the community from Morton Plant Mease for $17 million, SantaFe told residents that the company would "refresh" the community by bulldozing units and building Tuscan-themed villas.

The plan called for residents to buy the units, rather than rent them, through "entrance fees" costing about as much as a local home, Hart said. Mona Haymes, whose parents, Marvin and Evelyn Zwiebach, have lived there for six years, said she recalls that the condo units were going to cost about $300,000.

Residents fled, and occupancy dropped from 80 to 20 percent. Not enough have returned to keep the community running, Hart said.

That means the community's 140 residents, half of whom require extensive medical assistance, have 45 days to uproot their lives and find a new home.

Denise Lang, whose mother, Marjorie DeJohn, 79, has lived there for two years, said finding a new home that quickly "seems unimaginable."

"This is not an easy thing to find, housing for the elderly," Lang said. "The market here locally will be flooded with people looking for a place to live."

Hart said the 45-day notice — the state's required minimum — would be "emotionally challenging" for residents but allow for quicker moves to other facilities.

"The sooner we can get them from here to somewhere they're content and happy and well cared for," Hart said, "the better it will be for everyone."

He said SantaFe has no one lined up to buy the 32-acre site on Old Tampa Bay. He added he didn't know what the next phase would be: "Frankly, I don't know if it will be a senior living facility."

Some relatives of Bayview residents think SantaFe is evicting them to sell the waterfront real estate to a developer.

"There are a lot of people whose lives are being affected right now by this," said Haymes. "This should never be happening."

Residents' relatives who spoke with the Tampa Bay Times also said they are concerned the level of care may diminish in the community's last days.

"People with cognitive impairments, who are doing well now because they're oriented, could be totally set back having a forced move put on them," Haymes said. "Some people might never regain the level of stability they have right now."

Morton Plant Mease bought Bayview Gardens in 1985 and sold it in 2006 to SantaFe, a Gainesville nonprofit organization with retirement communities in Gainesville, Miami and Bonita Springs.

At the time, officials from both Morton Plant Mease and SantaFe said in a press release the sale would ensure the property would "continue to serve seniors for decades to come."

Bayview Gardens showed no deficiencies during its last three inspections, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration records show.

In January, Bayview Gardens won the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce's award for Medium Not-for-Profit of the Year.

Contact Drew Harwell at (727) 445-4170 or dharwell@tampabay.com. Send letters to the editor at tampabay.com/letters.

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

CLEARWATER — When retired social worker Marvin Zwiebach and his wife of 60 years, Evelyn, moved into a retirement community here called Bayview Gardens, they believed it would be the home of their last hurrah.

Former New Yorkers, they found a two-bedroom apartment on the shore of Old Tampa Bay, with a yard of live oaks and a patio for their orchids. Evelyn, 85, hung her needlepoint artwork. Marvin, 84, unpacked 40 large cartons of books.

"This was our home," Zwiebach said. "My wife and I thought we would be here until the end."

So last Thursday, when they found a note in their mailbox alerting them to an important meeting in the community's high-rise, they didn't expect this: The community they had waited to move into for one year, and had lived in for six, was closing. They and all their neighbors had to be out in 45 days.

The Zwiebachs are just two of the 140 seniors who are being evicted from what may be Pinellas County's first retirement community. Half of the residents need daily assistance and cannot live on their own.

The community's 75 nurses, housekeepers, cooks, drivers and other employees will also be out of a job.

Troy Hart, president of Bayview Gardens and of SantaFe Senior Living, which owns the property, said the facility never recovered after a failed plan to redevelop the rental apartments into condominiums.

Residents and their relatives are left to worry about how to find new living arrangements and move within 45 days, the state's minimum for notice at assisted-living facilities. They fear dangerous levels of stress on those who just wanted to retire in peace.

"People with cognitive impairments, who are doing well now because they're oriented, could be totally set back having a forced move put on them," said the Zwiebachs' daughter, Mona Haymes. "Some people might never regain the level of stability they have right now."

Built for seniors by a Congregational church in 1965, Bayview Gardens provided a then-unconventional mix of assisted and independent living. Residents needing extensive assistance live in a six-story high-rise, visible from Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard. Seniors who are more able live in a collection of one-story apartment homes, visiting the tower for meals at a dining hall called the Garden Cafe.

Hospital chain Morton Plant Mease bought the 32-acre community in 1985, elevating it to one of Clearwater's best-known retirement spots. By 2006, Bayview Gardens had 300 residents.

However, Morton Plant Mease, wanting to focus its business on hospitals, sold the site for $17 million to SantaFe, a Gainesville not-for-profit that owns retirement communities in Gainesville and Miami and has one under construction in Bonita Springs.

Officials from both companies heralded the sale, saying it would ensure the property would "continue to serve seniors for decades to come." Morton Plant Mease asked that Bayview Gardens remain a not-for-profit community for seniors for two years. SantaFe obliged.

Then, in 2008, SantaFe announced a new plan to "refresh" the 43-year-old community by bulldozing units and building new Tuscan-themed villas in a project called Bella Terra on the Bay.

The plan was for residents to buy the units, rather than rent them, Hart said, through "entrance fees" costing about as much as a home. Rental units there now cost $1,000 to $3,000 a month, depending on the level of care needed. Marvin Zwiebach said Bella Terra apartments would have cost up to $300,000.

"I had never seen such a mass exodus out of here," Zwiebach said. "It was like someone had yelled 'Fire.' "

Residents fled, Hart said, with occupancy dropping from 80 to 20 percent. Even as SantaFe poured millions into renovations, not enough residents returned to keep the community running.

Bayview Gardens showed no deficiencies during its last three inspections, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration records show.

Hart said the company would help seniors find new residences by giving out lists of other facilities. The 45-day window, he said, would be "emotionally challenging" for residents but allow for quicker moves to other facilities.

"The sooner we can get them from here to somewhere they're content and happy and well cared for," Hart said, "the better it will be for everyone."

Though some relatives of Bayview residents think SantaFe plans to sell the waterfront real estate to a developer, Hart said they have no one lined up to buy the site. He added he didn't know what the next phase would be: "Frankly, I don't know if it will be a senior living facility."

In the meantime, residents will be packing for another move. Denise Lang, whose mother, Marjorie DeJohn, 79, has lived there for two years, said finding a new home that quickly "seems unimaginable."

But one of her bigger worries is about her mother and her loss of social interaction. How will residents like her deal with losing their friends? "These people are so upset," Lang said. "The people they sit with (during meals) are like family."

Contact Drew Harwell at (727) 445-4170 or dharwell@tampabay.com. Send letters to the editor at tampabay.com/letters.

Times staff
Monday, March 5, 2012

PORT RICHEY — Charges have been filed against Richard Barrett, a 38-year-old Port Richey man accused in a destructive rampage along U.S. 19 last month that caused at least three car wrecks.

Barrett, who was hospitalized for his injuries after the Feb. 15 incident, was arrested Friday on Hernando warrants on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

Authorities said Barrett drove his 2000 Ford minivan north on U.S. 19, ramming one car and colliding with another. When he was caught, Barrett kicked a Hernando deputy and tried to punch another, authorities said. Deputies used a Taser six times before Barrett was subdued.

Barrett's wife told the Times her husband suffers from bipolar disorder and had begun acting strangely. She thought maybe his medication stopped working.

Barrett was released Friday from the Pasco jail after posting $8,000 bail.

By Kim Wilmath, Steve Bousquet and Michael Van Sickler, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Monday, March 5, 2012

TALLAHASSEE — In a deal struck between House and Senate leaders Monday, most of the costs associated with splitting off a Lakeland polytechnic branch from the University of South Florida will be covered, making the separation less financially painful for the main campus.

"It's very, very, very good. I'm very pleased," said USF President Judy Genshaft. "I want to thank everyone in the community. It truly made a difference showing the strength of the University of South Florida."

Resolving the USf issues was a last-minute lynchpin in budget negotiations that ended smoothly, allowing for the 60-day session to end on time Friday.

The deal defuses a standoff that began when Sen. JD Alexander, the Senate's powerful budget chairman, proposed steep cuts from USF's budget in his push to peel away the USF Polytechnic campus in Lakeland and turn it into the state's 12th university. Last month, Jim Norman, R-Tampa, cushioned the blow by diverting $10 million to help USF absorb Polytechnic's faculty and staff, who would shift to USF. Norman also won an additional $3 million to cover USF's pharmacy program.

Gov. Rick Scott has not endorsed the idea of a 12th university and has said one school should not benefit at the expense of the others.

While grateful, USF officials said the cuts were still too deep. A total of $16 million was needed to absorb USF-Poly, they said. And its fledgling pharmacy program needed the full $6 million restored or it would "decimate everything we've been able to accomplish," its dean said.

Taking care of USF became a last-minute linchpin in budget negotiations. Alexander wanted the new independent school, which would leave him a legacy greater than any other lawmaker's in recent memory. In turn, USF was spared severe cuts at its main Tampa campus.

Incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, provided the firewall for USF-Tampa, brokering a deal that left the pharmacy program's funding intact.

"The House held firm on that $6 million," Weatherford said. "It was hard, and we had to scramble, but we recognized without the total $6 million, the school's program was in jeopardy."

He also bolstered language in Norman's amendment that better allows USF to get the new Lakeland school to reimburse costs associated with the separation above and beyond the $10 million that's getting restored. While it's not as good as getting the full $16 million that USF said it would cost for the separation, it provides a clear process to cover the difference, Weatherford said.

The new school will pay any costs that USF claims to have incurred "out of their own pocket," Weatherford said.

"I've talked to Alexander, and he's assured me that he's committed to reimbursing the full amounts," he said.

In addition, Weatherford was able to add one of his top priorities: nearly $7 million to create a cardiovascular institute. It would team USF with the Pepin Heart and Vascular Institute at University Community Hospital. While it was also a top priority of USF's board of trustees, the state's Board of Governors had not recommended that it get financed this year.

More problematic for USF and the state's 10 other universities was how to spread $300 million in proposed budget cuts.

In the House's original spending plan, a formula was used to disperse the cuts evenly among all the universities, which is the formula that the University of South Florida preferred. But Alexander, frustrated with USF officials in his effort to turn its Lakeland campus into an independent university, came up with a new method that aimed the largest cuts at USF. What the House and Senate agreed on was instead was a method that based cuts on the size of each university's reserves, general revenue and tuition. The hybrid approach led to Florida State University getting the largest cut of $65.8 million.

"This was the very best approach," said Frank Brogan, chancellor of the State University System of Florida.

By Kim Wilmath, Steve Bousquet and Michael Van Sickler, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Monday, March 5, 2012

TALLAHASSEE

Legislative leaders struck a budget deal Monday marked by the creation of a new state polytechnic university in Lakeland, fulfilling the vision of a single lawmaker who wanted the school to grow independently from the University of South Florida.

The creation of Florida Polytechnic University, a priority of departing Sen. JD Alexander, ensures that lawmakers will be able to pass a budget before the 2012 session is scheduled to end Friday.

Negotiations tipped when lawmakers agreed to cover most of the costs associated with splitting the Lakeland campus from USF.

"It's very, very, very good. I'm very pleased," USF president Judy Genshaft said. "I want to thank everyone in the community. It truly made a difference showing the strength of the University of South Florida."

Resolving the USF controversy was a linchpin in budget talks. Lawmakers put the final touches on a nearly $70 billion spending plan Monday afternoon with dozens of community projects in members' districts, including $5 million for a regatta sports center in Sarasota, $1.6 million more for historically black colleges, $1 million for a Brevard County Achievement Center, $500,000 for a democracy conference at Florida International University and $500,000 for a service program at St. Petersburg College.

Some projects surfaced for the first time, never having been discussed in a public meeting. The projects, subject to a veto by Gov. Rick Scott, were funded though state workers will not receive a pay raise for the sixth straight year.

Senators also insisted on a provision requiring them to pay more for health insurance, rates equal to those paid by low-paid rank-and-file state workers. The higher health care costs apply only to the Senate, not the House, and will cost the 40 senators a total of $47,000. The same proposal was rejected last week by a Senate committee.

"We believe we should pay the same amount for health insurance as the people who work here," said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.

The two chambers also found consensus on a $13 billion budget for preK-12 education. The spending plan funds an extra hour of reading instruction and other supplemental academic services at the 100 lowest-performing schools. It also boosts the award money given to schools that earn an A or increase their letter grade.

The USF deal defuses a standoff that began when Alexander, the Senate's powerful budget chairman, proposed steep budget cuts to USF in his push to peel away the USF Polytechnic campus in Lakeland. Last month, Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, cushioned the blow by diverting $10 million to help USF absorb Polytechnic's faculty and staff, who would shift to USF. Norman also won an additional $3 million to cover USF's pharmacy program.

USF officials said the cuts were still too deep. A total of $16 million was needed to absorb USF Poly, they said. And its fledgling pharmacy program needed the full $6 million restored or it would "decimate everything we've been able to accomplish," pharmacy dean Kevin Sneed said.

In the end, Alexander — in his 14th and final year as a lawmaker — traded the cuts for an independent Lakeland university.

Incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, helped broker a deal that kept the pharmacy program's funding intact and strengthened language to make sure USF secured funding for current Lakeland students who earn their degrees from USF.

"The House held firm on that $6 million," Weatherford said. "It was hard, and we had to scramble, but we recognized without the total $6 million, the school's program was in jeopardy."

In addition, Weatherford was able to win an additional $6.9 million to create a cardiovascular institute at USF in partnership with the Pepin Heart and Vascular Institute at University Community Hospital. While it was also a top priority of USF's board of trustees, the state's Board of Governors had not recommended that it get financed this year.

Intertwined with the USF funding deal is an agreement to spread out $300 million in proposed budget cuts among the state's 11 universities.

House and Senate leaders agreed to divide the cuts by factoring in the size of a school's reserve fund and its ability to increase tuition rates, along with a normal state funding formula. The Senate had relied more heavily on reserve balances in crafting its budget. The House used the normal funding formula.

The hybrid method led to Florida State University getting the largest cut of $65.8 million. USF Tampa would still receive a $36.9 million cut while USF St. Petersburg would see a cut of $5.1 million.

"This was the very best approach," said Frank Brogan, chancellor of the State University System of Florida.

Times/Herald staff writers Kathleen McGrory and Tia Mitchell contributed to this report.

By Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

Quarterback Josh Freeman said Tampa Bay Buccaneers players were warned by coaches in advance about 'cheap shots' the New Orleans Saints defense may attempt during games the past three seasons.

In fact, Freeman was the recipient of one of those illegal hits out of bounds by Saints cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who dove at his knees in a game at Raymond James Stadium in 2010. The Saints received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the play and Jenkins was later fined $10,000 for the illegal hit.

Freeman said he wasn't surprised to learn about the NFL's investigation into the Saints bounty system administered by former defensive coordinator Greg Williams in which players were paid for hits that forced opponents off the field or out of the game, along with fumble recoveries and interceptions.

"We just knew every time we played the Saints, they were going to take some cheap shots,'' Freeman said Monday. "I mean, it was always something we acknowledged. We knew Gregg Williams' defenses were physical and they were going to get after you. Knowing what we know now, it's not surprising that was the system that was set up for them.

"It is what it is. I'd just say it's not surprising.''

The Bucs lost the game in which Jenkins was fined 31-6 but went on to finish 10-6, including a 23-13 win at New Orleans in the regular-season finale.

The NFL is considering disciplinary measures in the New Orleans Saints' bounty case that could include fines, the forfeiture of draft picks and/or suspensions of Williams, head coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and various players.

Williams, who is the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, was called to New York Monday to meet with NFL security officials Jeff Miller and Joe Hummel for more discussion about the alleged violations of the league's bounty rules, according to ESPN.

Freeman, who says he has always had a lot of respect for Williams and the Saints defense, said Bucs coaches routinely warned offensive players to beware of New Orleans defenders making illegal hits, particularly near the sideline.

"We were told, "just kind of like watch your knees on sideline plays, everybody slowing up and one guy trying to take a shot when someone is unprepared,'' Freeman said. "It was unnecessary stuff.''

The Bucs are 3-3 against the Saints under Freeman, who took over as the starting quarterback with nine games remaining in 2009. At 6-foot-6, 248-pounds, the former first-round pick from Kansas State is better equipped than some quarterbacks to absorb a lot of punishment and routinely extends plays with his feet.

Freeman says that while every team attempts to impose physical punishment on opposing players, it's generally done within the rules. He said sometimes the Saints defense under Williams crossed the line.

"Everybody plays hard, but nobody goes out and tries to hurt each other,'' Freeman said. "You go out to hit people hard, you know, straight up. But we didn't see whole lot of that other stuff except when we were playing the Saints.''

Freeman said having played in the NFC South for three seasons, he has become personally familiar with many of the Saints players and has no particular problem with them.

"I like a lot of those guys on the team,'' Freeman said. "I know a lot of Saints guys. Whether it was an extra incentive or whatever it is, I really don't know what was going on in their locker room. It was just overall feeling.''

In fact, Freeman said he was unaware of the NFL's investigation into the Saints' bounty system that was announced Friday until Sunday.

"It's interesting. I just heard about it yesterday, to be honest,'' Freeman said. "Someone sent me a link from a story. I read it and said, "this is interesting.''

By Katie Sanders and Mary Ellen Klas, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Monday, March 5, 2012

TALLAHASSE — A wide-ranging antiabortion bill that stirred controversy in the House last week was blocked by the Senate Monday when a bipartisan coalition prevented the bill from being heard on the Senate floor.

"The public is calling and screaming, pleading with us to concentrate on bills that give us jobs, put food on our table and lower our cost of living," said Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, one of six Republicans to join with Democrats to stop the bill from being heard.

The bill, SB 290, would have created a 24-hour waiting period for abortions and required new abortion clinics to be owned by physicians. Physicians also would have been required to take three hours of unspecified ethics training, among other provisions.

Senators were able to block the bill from being heard because it had not passed the committees to which it was assigned. Senate rules require a two-thirds vote of the present members to bypass the committee structure.

Senators voted 23-16 to hear the abortion bill, short of the 26 votes necessary.

Democrats and six Republicans voted against hearing the bill: Lynn and Sens. Paula Dockery, Nancy Detert, Dennis Jones, Charlie Dean and Mike Bennett.

One Democrat voted to consider the measure: Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando. Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, was ill and did not vote.

Another 23 bills were withdrawn from committees without controversy, including a proposal that would ban courts from using religious or foreign law in legal decisions. Rules Chairman Sen. John Thrasher said he tried to bring the abortion bill to the floor at the request of sponsor Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, which is not unusual.

He suggested Senate President Mike Haridopolos may call for a special meeting of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, where the abortion bill was to receive its next hearing.

But with four days left until the session is scheduled to conclude, that's unlikely.

"I think that vote expressed where they're at," Haridopolos said of senators.

On Friday, senators blocked another bill — which would allow parents at low-performing schools to demand sweeping changes, including having the school converted into a charter school — from bypassing its committee stops and heading straight to the floor.

Republican leaders countered by holding a special Senate Budget Committee meeting, where the bill, SB 1718, passed so it could be heard by the entire Senate.

Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau staff writer Tia Mitchell contributed to this report.

By Stephanie Wang, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

PORT OF TAMPA — Federal agents arrested a cruise line employee Sunday at the Port of Tampa after they say he had sexual contact with a 16-year-old female passenger on a cruise and later saved sexually explicit photographs of her on his computer.

Norwegian Star assistant cruise director Senad Djedovic, 29, is accused of possessing child pornography in a United States maritime jurisdiction, according to a federal criminal complaint. Djedovic is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Investigations began Feb. 27 when a Norwegian crew member notified the ship's security that Djedovic showed photographs of the teenager to him and several other employees. The next day, the cruise line alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Djedovic met the 16-year-old victim on a trip that departed from Tampa on Jan. 29 and returned to the port Feb. 5, according to an FBI affidavit. A Minnesota resident, she was traveling with her parents. The affidavit did not name the victim, as is usually the custom with minors and victims of sex crimes.

The ship's internal security team obtained a signed statement from Djedovic dated Feb. 28. In it, Djedovic admitted to having sexual contact with the victim on a staircase on the ship, right after the cruise stopped at Costa Maya, Mexico.

When the victim left the cruise on Feb. 5, Djedovic gave her his work email address. They exchanged several emails that month, the affidavit said.

"I wish you said yes way earlier than the last day because we would have way more fun," Djedovic wrote in an email, the affidavit said. "I miss you big time ... you little young girl."

Investigators say Djedovic stored about 20 photos of the victim from multiple emails that appear to have been sent from Minnesota while he was at sea. She wore clothes in some but was naked in most.

In return, Djedovic sent the victim graphic photos of himself and a video of him masturbating in front of her photo, according to the affidavit.

In an interview with FBI agents last week, the victim confirmed the sexual encounter on the ship and admitted to sending Djedovic photos of herself. She introduced Djedovic to her parents at the beginning of the cruise, the affidavit said, and her father specifically told Djedovic that his daughter was 16.

FBI agents interviewed Djedovic on Sunday while the ship docked at the Port of Tampa. He admitted to the interactions with the victim and consented to a search of his computer, according to the affidavit. On a hard drive, investigators found what appeared to be videos of minors engaging in sexual activity downloaded from the Internet.

Djedovic does not have a criminal record in Florida.He has worked for Norwegian Cruise Lines since 2006.

In a statement Monday, Norwegian officials said the company has a zero-tolerance policy "for crew and guest fraternization and will continue to fully cooperate with federal authorities."

Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Stephanie Wang can be reached at swang@tampabay.com or (813) 661-2443.

John Barry, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

TAMPA — A former Pinellas-Pasco prosecutor was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to trafficking in oxycodone pills.

Aaron Slavin, 34, who worked for the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office before opening a private practice in Largo, admitted accepting more than 200 oxycodone pills as payment for legal services in 2010. His supposed client turned out to be a police informer.

Slavin's wife, Eryn, also 34, was charged with possession of illegal drugs. She was allowed to avoid prosecution by entering a pretrial diversion program.

The case was heard by Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory Holder because of Slavin's long connection to the court system in Pinellas County.

By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — Sohaib Athar didn't set out to record history when he live-tweeted the strange sounds — a helicopter flying overhead, then an explosion — he heard last year in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Only later would Athar and the world learn that the IT consultant was describing the U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden's compound as it happened on May 2, 2011. Now Athar will share his story in a Tuesday evening discussion at Eckerd College's Fox Hall at 7:30 p.m.

The discussion, called "Tweeting Osama's Death: From Citizen to Journalist," will be moderated by Steve Myers, managing editor for Poynter.org, the website of the Poynter Institute, which owns the Tampa Bay Times.

Athar's first tweet about the raid on his Twitter handle @ReallyVirtual read: "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event.)" He became an instant media celebrity, his Twitter followers jump from 750 to about 86,000, and news organizations all over the world clamored to talk to him.

Athar has been dubbed a "citizen journalist" for unknowingly live-tweeting the events that led to the death of the al Qaeda's leader. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Eckerd College Organization of Students and Poynter.

By Lee Logan, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

Efforts to build a community center in Lacoochee got a boost Monday from an unlikely source: the austere $70 billion state budget.

As part of a budget deal announced by legislative leaders, the community center would receive $1 million. Combined with $900,000 in earlier donations, that would be enough to begin construction by August on the 12,800-square-foot building in Pasco's poorest community.

"It's not only the right thing to do for our community and these children, it's also a wise investment in our state," said House Speaker-designate Will Weatherford, who secured the money. "It's one of the most impoverished areas in the state of Florida."

Some critics question why this year's budget has several hometown earmarks — or "turkeys" in Tallahassee lingo — while also cutting reimbursement rates for hospitals, closing prisons and reducing support for Florida's 11 universities.

During the next few weeks, Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said he plans to make the case to Gov. Rick Scott that the project isn't just another turkey. "When you look at the unemployment rate, the dropout rate — the hope is to try and create some stability over there," he said.

Lawmakers are scheduled to approve the state spending plan by Friday. Then, the Lacoochee money would only await the governor's approval.

That is far from assured.

Last spring, Scott displayed his conservative stripes by slashing a record $615 million from the state budget, mostly for college construction and local projects. Three Pasco programs met Scott's veto pen: money for a low-income health care center, partial funding for a new campus of Pasco-Hernando Community College and $100,000 in job training money.

A Scott spokesman said Monday that the governor has not had time to review individual items in this year's budget and decide which ones to approve or veto.

Supporters of Lacoochee's redevelopment effort urged Scott to preserve the money.

"In my judgement, Lacoochee has sort of been the forgotten area in Pasco County," said Billy E. Brown, general manager of Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative. Since the company began serving the area in 2007, it has been a driving force in efforts to improve the community.

"It's hard for people outside of the area to recognize the need," Brown said. "I don't know if there's anything that's needed any more than to help those people up there."

Once a thriving town on a major railroad line in northeast Pasco, Lacoochee never really recovered after the Cummer Cypress Co. sawmill closed in 1959. Now, convenience stores count as a major industry and visiting officials gasp at the poor housing conditions.

The community gained prominence after the 2003 shooting death of sheriff's Lt. Charles "Bo" Harrison, killed while on patrol near a nightclub. Efforts to improve Lacoochee have only gained traction in recent years.

The community center, located just north of the football field at Stanley Park, would serve as a hub for Lacoochee.

Its primary tenant would be the Lewis Abraham Boys and Girls Club. The larger space would replace an aging building in a nearby public housing complex and would allow the group to serve 100 children instead of 70.

Kids would enjoy an indoor basketball court and have easy access to play outside. There would also be a concession stand for Police Athletic League youth football games.

"I think they deserve this building," said Jennie Pearson Yingling, area director for the Boys and Girls Club. "They deserve to have that hub, to be able to just have something that associates them with their community."

The community center will have space for a range of services, including the WIC program, job training and basic health care. There will be a kitchen and attached dining area that could serve as a site for the county's elderly nutrition program. Also included is a retractable stage for school plays and space for community and church meetings.

Plans also call for space for the Sheriff's Office, perhaps to complement the Officer Friendly program currently run out of the housing complex.

"Having the deputies there would be a great presence for the children," Sheriff Chris Nocco said. "We want them growing up feeling there's a strong, positive relationship with the sheriff's office."

Lee Logan can be reached at llogan@tampabay.com or (727) 869-6236.

By Elizabeth Behrman, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

Tampa International Airport took another shot at wooing Copa Airlines on Monday.

Delegates from about 150 airports met with about 30 different airlines at the Network USA 2012 conference and tried to persuade them to start flight routes through their airports.

Copa Airlines, which could offer direct flights from Tampa to Panama City, Panama, was a top priority for TIA.

Chris Minner, TIA's vice president of marketing, said the meeting went well, and he will be traveling to Panama in two weeks to continue talks with the airline.

He said he hopes that USF's Health International Foundation, which has a campus in Panama City, is a strong enough business link to recruit the airline to offer direct routes to the region.

Ivan Canton, Copa's network planning manager, said he liked Tampa, although this was only his third trip here. He said his meeting with TIA was a good starting point for discussions about expanding flight routes.

Minner also met with Alaskan Airlines, AeroMexico, JetBlue and Virgin America Airlines, among others, he said.

Currently, Tampa averages just 24 nonstop flights a week outside the United States, mostly flights to Canada and British Airways' daily flights to London.

The airport has targeted Frankfurt, Germany, Bogota, Colombia, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mexico City and Panama as likely options for expanding its international routes.

By Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer
Monday, March 5, 2012

TAMPA — Two national political conventions. Two host cities. Two $50 million federal security grants. And two different strategies for talking about the money.

Both Tampa and Charlotte, N.C., are receiving the federal funds to cover police expenses during the Republican and Democratic national conventions, respectively.

In Tampa, the City Council votes on and often discusses police proposals for spending that money.

In Charlotte, not.

Now Tampa City Council members are zinging Charlotte over its secrecy, making pointed comparisons between the Big Guava and the Queen City.

"This same process is happening in Charlotte; the difference is that it's happening in secret," council member Mike Suarez said last week during an hourlong discussion of whether to spend $2 million on about 60 downtown surveillance cameras.

While Tampa often holds up Charlotte as a "model city," City Council chairman Charlie Miranda said at the same meeting he found nothing worth imitating this time.

"This discussion that we're having is never happening in that city, because they put it (with) the city manager," Miranda said. "They hide it away. … There's no vote taken. There's no discussion. There's nothing."

But in Charlotte, one of Miranda's counterparts suggested that while being open is important, so is being careful.

"As much as we would like to be transparent, the one thing you don't want to be is so open with your security (that) you leave yourself open for an attack of some sort," Charlotte council member Patrick Cannon told a Charlotte television station.

In January, the Charlotte Observer reported that police there planned to spend up to half of the city's federal security grant on technology and equipment. Those purchases, however, were not going before Charlotte City Council for the usual public vote.

That's because the council voted in February 2011 to turn over the authority to approve convention-related contracts to the city manager. Some council members later grumbled about the decision, and Charlotte police have since disclosed spending $1.73 million on a convention command center and $131,000 on motorcycle equipment.

In Tampa, officials "never, ever" contemplated such a change, said chief of staff Santiago Corrada, who has been City Hall's point man on the convention for both former Mayor Pam Iorio and current Mayor Bob Buckhorn. (Iorio said in an email that she didn't recall it ever coming up.)

Because the city charter requires that contracts go to the council for approval, Tampa voters would have had to approve that kind of change at a referendum, Corrada said.

It also probably would take an act of the Legislature, said Tampa purchasing director Gregory Spearman. Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine and Public Records laws make city purchases open to public scrutiny throughout the process.

"There is no such animal in North Carolina," said Spearman, who, in a previous job was the purchasing director for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. There, he said, everything is done out of the sunshine until after the contract is awarded.

After Thursday's Tampa council meeting, WSOC TV in Charlotte shared Suarez's and Miranda's comments with several Charlotte council members.

"We've asked our city manager, we've tasked him with taking these dollars, and it's a huge task," Charlotte council member Andy Dulin said. "He's not doing it by himself. He has folks helping him, and I'm comfortable that the city manager can handle it here in Charlotte, and I wish the folks in Tampa well."

To be sure, Tampa officials are keeping secret much of their security plan, which is being crafted in the anticipation that the convention could draw up to 15,000 protesters, including a small percentage of anarchists determined to disrupt the event.

And the reluctance to disclose details has included one of Tampa's $6.7 million in purchases for convention security so far.

Last week, police initially said details of a second purchase going to the City Council for approval — $1.9 million for police protective gear — were exempt from disclosure under Florida's Public Records Law because they concerned security system plans.

But when police Chief Jane Castor briefed council members, she answered their questions about the purchase. Immediately after those briefings, she told a Tampa Bay Times reporter generally what the money would buy.

Tampa has tried to be open about its convention purchases, "much to the chagrin of the Secret Service," Buckhorn said, and will stick to that approach as much as possible.

While the city could make a buy in the future that is covered by the exemption for security plans, Buckhorn said it's part of his job and the police chief's job to make sure residents know what the city is doing and why.

Richard Danielson can be reached at Danielson@tampabay.com, (813) 226-3403 or @Danielson_Times on Twitter.